A few proposed changes may be coming to the PGA Tour, but that doesn't mean everyone agrees. Here is Padraig Harrington's take.
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Big changes are (almost) coming to the PGA Tour.
The PGA Tour's Player Advisory Council sent a 23-page document to tour membership last week detailing the proposed 2026 changes. The Tour Policy Board – a group of 12 that includes Tiger Woods and five other professionals – will vote on the changes later this month. , and they will probably be approved.
The proposal includes things like smaller field sizes, a smaller number of fully exempt members, modified paths to tour membership, a reduction in Monday qualifiers and more.
You can read more about all the changes here, but for now we'll get a three-time winner to take the proposal.
So, what does Padraig Harrington think?
“Bad,” he said, shaking his head. “It's just bad. It really is.”
Harrington explained his thoughts on Wednesday's episode of “Golf Today” on the Golf Channel. In short, he is not a fan of shrinking field sizes, among other things.
“At the end of the day the people on the inside vote to keep the thing strong and closed,” Harrington said. “Sure, why don't we have 12 people at the party if I'm in and everyone else can go home?
“The Tour was going well. I know there is a bit of pressure on time to finish the pitches when they go to 156 [players] at certain times of the season, but the players will deal with that, they will manage that. They know at the beginning of the year, hey, I might miss a few tournaments because of the light. The problem of slow gaming is like driving in traffic. There are too many people on the golf courses and the tee times are too tight. So yes this is a way to solve one of the biggest problems in golf, the speed of play, but you want to give everybody a chance.”
Harrington said he would agree to the proposal if there was a “second” strong tour behind the PGA Tour where underperforming players would be demoted, adding that perhaps one day the DP World Tour will play that role.
Although the suggestion that indeed Did you upset him?
“Don't you have Monday to sort?” he said. “Come on! That's one of the most exciting things about the Tour.”
The proposal wouldn't completely eliminate the Tour of Monday qualifiers – which have long been an important part of Tour week and can provide good news and career-changing opportunities – but it would be impressive. They will be drawn from fields of 120 or less and only two spots (instead of four) will be awarded from fields of 132 players.
Harrington said that he has always liked these qualifiers because it is a good way to check if the young players are running.
“When I look at a young producer and whether he's going to be successful, if he's just driving down the road to local events, he's not really pushing himself,” said Harrington. “If he goes, plays on Monday and succeeds, goes to South Africa and goes to Europe and attends all those travel schools, I know this boy wants to succeed. So it's my way of separating people. Do they do it indeed Do you want to make it as a professional? Or they would like doing it like a pro?
The policy board will vote on the proposed changes on Nov. 18.
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